A Village Fête Wedding in Wales: Jo-Ann & Alan

Today's real wedding is a celebration that lots of couples can take inspiration from - whatever kind of day you're planning. That's because Jo-Ann & Alan are showing us how to skip the formalities, take just the the traditions that resonate, and create the kind of day that's meaningful to you. Their village fête-style wedding in Wales took place in a part of Anglesey that means a lot to the bride and groom, and Rhoscolyn Village Hall was the ideal backdrop for reams of bunting, sack races, fish & chips, an ice-cream van and s'mores. A fun, intimate, and pretty wedding from start to finish, Sean & Kate captured it all beautifully.

Jo-Ann & Alan met online through eHarmony, Alan tells us it was his toga that caught her eye, “Jo-Ann was attracted to my profile picture (I was dressed in a toga drinking red wine from a Roman-themed BBQ). I was attracted to her amazing array of interests and witty answers to my fairly mundane questions (the fact that she’s beautiful helped too!). We started chatting everyday, but had to wait about three weeks to actually meet up, as Jo-Ann was in Kyrgyzstan with work.”

The couple finally met in the Alwyne Castle, a pub in North London and had an instant connection, “We felt like we’d known each other for ages. We chatted all night and closed the pub down. We were the last to leave, the bar staff were queued up by the door, but we’d been lost in conversation for hours.” I just love stories like these!

The couple included some special children in their day, “We were blessed to have had some beautiful (and photogenic) children in attendance - our nieces and nephews played the important roles of flower girls and page boys.”

Alan brought Jo-Ann back to the Alwyne Castle to ask her a very important question, “We got engaged in the very same pub were we went on our first date. The pub is nowhere near where we now live and we had very little reason to venture that way. In the morning of the day on which we got engaged, we had been in another part of North London with my parents visiting my grandmother. Jo-Ann set the sat-nav on the car to take us home. Unbeknownst to Jo-Ann I changed the location whilst she was saying her goodbyes.” What a clever trick!

Alan’s plan came together without a hitch, “After questioning the ’stupid route’ the satnav was taking us on to get home we eventually ‘happened’ across the pub. When Jo-Ann suggested that we go in for a quick drink as we’re here, the plan all came together. We ordered the same drinks as on our first date and sat in the same chairs at the same table and I started up the same ‘first date’ chat that we’d shared those years before. An hour or so later, when I was just starting to completely confuse Jo-Ann, I finally built up the courage to get down on one knee and the rest is history!”

There's nothing quite like getting the piece of paper that makes it official!

The couple say they wanted to give their friends and family a relaxed, social occasion with their wedding, “Family is really important to both of us, so we wanted the venue to be appropriate for the little kids and the big ones (the bride and groom included).”

Jo-Ann & Alan found the perfect setting for their big day in a pictures corner of Wales, “Rhoscolyn is perched on the southern edge of Anglesey, overlooking Snowdonia to the South and the Irish Sea to the East. It’s been a favourite holiday venue of my family for four generations and was one of the very first places that Jo-Ann and I went away together.

The couple advise others getting married to soak it all in, “The day will just fly by before you know it. Just enjoy each minute as it comes (especially if you manage to get a moment alone together) and don’t sweat the small things.”

So many stunning backdrops!

Jo-Ann tells us how she marked the absence of her mum in a personal way, “Our wedding day was beyond perfect in every way. However, regardless of how perfect, there was always going to be someone special that wasn’t able to attend in person. My mum had passed away from cancer in 2008 and to make sure she was included, my chief bridesmaid had given me a lovely charm with her photo to attach to my bouquet.”

Rhoscolyn village hall made the ideal setting for their fête-style celebration, “The village hall, just a stone’s throw away from the church (and the pub), was recently renovated and boasts a shiny white render and proud Welsh slate roof. It couldn’t look more traditional and in keeping with the local landscape. The guests were all staying in very close proximity to the venue and so it proved perfect for those stumbling off home in the wee small hours.”

The couple tied in their decor with the venue, “The decoration was a simple rustic village fête theme, with homemade decorations painstakingly crafted by us. Alan’s mum was beyond amazing in helping with the wedding preparations and decorations from bunting to the hessian table runners, she did it all!”

The couple loved that they were able to skip the formalities and make the day exactly how they wanted it to be, “We shared an amazing day with our nearest and dearest, in a setting that we were both really familiar with, but on an occasion that was so special to both of us. We decided that the usual formalities of a three course meal just wouldn’t have suited the vibe of the day. Instead we arranged for a mobile fish and chip van to caterer the main meal. We also had an ice-cream van and a hog roast, Swedish candles to cook homemade s’mores.”

So many pretty rustic details! The couple also gave their guests forget-me-not flower seeds from Cancer Research UK as wedding favours.

The bride and groom included lots of fun and games throughout the day, “Wooden games and a bouncy castle for the kids. We also like to keep things competitive, so naturally a wedding party potato sack race was held. Alan and I love a good game of scrabble, so thought it would be a nice touch to have scrabble tiles for place settings and had a custom placemat designed. Once the sun set our guests enjoyed sparklers and created a tunnel of light for us.”

Alan's mum has some serious bunting game!

The number one priority for the bride and groom was showing their guests a good time, “We were having friends and family travel from all over the world to attend, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland and US. It was paramount that they were shown a good time and didn’t want for anything.”

Jo-Ann & Alan pulled out all the stops with the food and drink, “We indulged in all of our favourite tasty treats to design a menu in which no one was disappointed and ensured there was more than plenty of everything. From pork pie canapés, fish & chips for dinner and embracing the seaside with an ice cream van for dessert. Later in the evening, we enjoyed a hog roast with all the trimmings and roasted marshmallows for some delicious s’mores. An open ‘overstocked’ bar ensured we drank the night away.” Now that sounds like a spread and a half.

Jo-Ann & Alan had a pretty spectacular honeymoon in Bali, "We drove back to London two days after the wedding and then flew out to Bali for ten days, staying in amongst other places stilted lodges near the beach in Lembongan and at the stunning Tejaprana Resort & Spa in the middle of the forest in Ubud. Key tip, remember to re-apply sunscreen whilst snorkelling, we found that out the hard way. At least we then got to sample the sunburn spa treatments!” Good tip guys!

Oh what a fun wedding! Thanks so much to Sean & Kate for sharing the beautiful images with us - and of course, to Jo-Ann & Alan for letting us share their special day.